The IQ recently updated their Central district master plan along with this image. The new area is simply called North District Phase two. Maybe the research park is now divided into two districts since Salem College is taking over about half of the current South district?

Image by Wake Forest Innovation Quarter.

This could be our first glimpse at the long rumored major new 12-story headquarters for the park. Notice that overall, the envisioned building heights are a little taller as well.

Great find! I'm guessing the storefronts on this street will lease quickly? This street will connect thousands of college students to downtown. Will the walking paths go under the buildings? I'm guessing it's a very early plan and much of that will be redesigned? I wish they would go more vertical. I like what I see though and it should be interesting to see what happens with the corner site, which they have a large amount of interest in, due to the high visibility.

Carolina Air and Auto Museum:(New to the Thread!)
An airplane that took part in the Berlin Airlift of 1948-1949 will be on display at the museum, located at Smith Reynolds Airport. The Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation is considering relocating the airplane permanently to Winston-Salem. First, the museum must complete its permanent home! The museum works to encourage students to pursue careers in math, science and technology. Currently, the museum is working toward renovating a building at 3820 N. Liberty St. (former Piedmont Airlines Training Center) to use as a permanent home. Donations are needed! If they can renovate this building, a rare Boeing C-97G and a C-54 will be relocated to and based at this museum in Winston-Salem. If you would like to help bring this aircraft permanently to Winston-Salem, donate here: http://airandauto.org/donors/donate.php or help by buying the naming rights here: http://airandauto.org/donors/naming-opportunities.php

These are the plans for the museum's new home:

First Floor
Credit: Carolina Air & Auto Museum

Second Floor
Credit: Carolina Air & Auto Museum

Site Plan
Credit: Carolina Air & Auto Museum

Fries-Edison Substation:
It appears as if this historic 1889 flatiron substation, in the Brookstown neighborhood, that once served factories, streetlights, homes, and the city's streetcar system, is now back in use, as someone's house? Very awesome! I'm still trying to confirm this, since I've heard nothing about it, but it does look renovated.

Civic Plaza:
I noticed one of the photographers in this update also had a few photographs of the artwork in Civic Plaza. West coast graffiti artist Hieronymus, who is originally from Winston-Salem, painted this at the park last year. It's called "Capturing Gun Control?" He frequently travels between Los Angeles and Winston-Salem and has also painted other murals in Winston-Salem. He painted the awesome mural in SoHo Alley (one of my favorites) on Sixth Street. He has talked of holding a national mural festival in Winston-Salem. Here is a look at the mural up-close with the artist! These arches were built in 1893 and some say they connected with the city's tunnel system.

Enjoy it while you can. This is the proposed site for an underground parking deck, highrise, and park with amphitheatre.

Pop-up Skate Park:
The city of Winston-Salem is working on a five ramp pop-up skate park they can move anywhere. An interesting idea.

Another Hotel?
A project being built by former Carolina Panthers player Wesley Walls is expected to include a new 108 room hotel by BPR Properties. This project is outside downtown though.

Skyhouse at the Ballpark:
From WSTB: A developer currently partnering with Novare to build Skyhouse apartment towers in the region is the preferred developer at the ballpark site. They have their own "low-rise" version of Skyhouse they are building in Winston-Salem and a few other cities currently. If their project at the ballpark is successful, we could see the highrise version at the ballpark site? I guess we will see what happens?

1815 Salt-Flax House:
Wilson Covington Construction provides us with another update on this historic home in the Old Salem neighborhood. According to the description, they are getting ready to lift the house. They do a large amount of restoration work in this city's most historic neighborhoods and their work is always high quality.

Credit: Wilson-Covington Construction

1838 Sussdorff House
They are also working on the 1838 Chris Sussdorff House in the Factory Row neighborhood. Remember the sign in Trader Joes' that said Winston-Salem has the most registered historical landmarks in the United States? This is what the sign was talking about. It's one of the awesome things about this city I love.

Credit: Wilson-Covington Construction

Miksch House Bake Oven:
One more? This is the oven for the 1771 Matthew Miksch House. They are working to restore it. It's used to bake fresh bread on Fridays. This photograph was taken two months ago, so I'm guessing this project is completed?

Credit: Old Salem Museums & Gardens

Camel City Fest:
We are less than a month away from Camel City Fest! Are you ready for another music festival downtown?

Maya Angelou:
Sadly, one of Winston-Salem's most loved artists died this week. Maya Angelou was 86 years old. Very few people have, not just the talent she had, but also the love for others and the community. We all will miss her. She did donate some items that could be used in a museum, which was talked about on WSTB. I really do believe that is the best way this city can honor her. A memorial service was held for her tonight at her church here in Winston-Salem (Mount Zion Baptist Church). It was open to the public. A memorial was also planned at Wake Forest University, in Winston-Salem, where she taught classes from 1982 - 2011. I'm sure the crowd was bigger than the room could hold! She was a person who loved and taught love. As a result, she is loved around the world. She was a warrior for equality, tolerance, and peace. She supported gay marriage and the LGBT community as well. She believed in the power of a great education and our abilities to change the world. We will all miss her.

Maya Angelou Birthday Party at Downtown Winston-Salem's Corpening Plaza Water Gardens:
Source: City of Winston-Salem

A quote from 1986:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maya Angelou

I expect to be in Winston-Salem the rest of my life. My books are there, my art is there, my friends are there, and my work is there.

Just like us, she loved this creative and friendly city and the many wonderful people here. Those qualities continue to attract people here today.

RAI / LO Merger:
The merger that could transform RAI from Winston-Salem's second largest Fortune 500 headquarters to possibly Winston-Salem's largest Fortune 500 headquarters appears imminent! The conversation isn't if, but when the merger will happen, with both sides providing evidence this is about to happen. This could bring more jobs to their downtown Winston-Salem headquarters. I would love to see them build a new office tower or bring-in a developer to build an office tower on one of their downtown properties and lease from them. I've heard nothing about them doing this, but would love to see it happen.

Hilltop House South:
We haven't had an update on this project in a long time! Thank you to Blum Construction for providing an update! They are still building it, but demand is so high for apartments, they are already leasing them! If you want a unit in this building, talk with them today! There is likely a waiting list? I think it's safe to say there will be another phase of construction. These are built by the former CEO of Wachovia Bank, who lives in the city.

Credit: Blum Construction

New Bar:
An LGBT bar is opening in downtown Winston-Salem's Village District, near the new Link Apartments and the ballpark. No one is sure of the name at this time. According to WSTB, this location is isolated and past bars haven't done too well here, but that could change with around 205 apartments opening nearby.

That has to be one of the most peaceful views of any downtown residential unit. I love to see these against the strollway with Old Salem to the East and Brookstown/downtown to the North. 9 leased already and it's still u/c? These will be gone quickly. I can see Bud building more.

SciWorks' move downtown appears to be a sure thing. The question is where. Bailey Power Plant could be the preferred site, especially since renderings have surfaced as well as their annual fundraiser being held adjacent to the property. Whats also interesting is that the Winston-Salem Journal downtown buildings are also for sale. A few years ago, they were looked at as a possible location for SciWorks. I'd be happy with either location.

Sites along the bike and pedestrian system are beautiful! I do love the view.

Considering SciWorks has five board members directly connected to the IQ District, including Dr. Eric Tomlinson, and tenants/developers at the power plant have both talked about SciWorks ...I'm 99.99% sure SciWorks will select Bailey Power Plant. Also, the rendering with their logo on it says they likely already made the decision and are finding the money to make it happen. It appears as if at least part of the money is already in place before the other site announced its availability? I think SciWorks will be upstairs, in the office space. The office space on the upper floors is a great match for the size of SciWorks. I've also noticed SciWorks is strengthening its connections to the IQ District and WFU.

Plant 64 Lofts:
I found this update from Mike Fluke on Building A. It looks great with the windows! I think I can see areas where the concrete/cement walls were repaired as well? I'm excited about seeing "Plant 64 Lofts" painted on the historic water tower!

Mike also had this photograph. It's a reflection of Plant 64 Lofts in the windows of Wells Fargo's Linden Center (a technology / IT office for the bank, in the IQ District, which is downtown's technology / research office district).

New Venture Capital Company:
Piedmont Venture Capital joins the list of venture capital companies in Winston-Salem. Piedmont Venture Capital will work with start-ups in software, biotech and nanotech, medical devices and energy, needing as little as $100,000 and as much as $50 million. They have a network of between 300 and 400 institutional and private investors to bring outside money into Winston-Salem for innovation. The firm is currently in due diligence with two local companies. One of them is a medical technology firm and the other is in the energy sector. There are 70 companies in the firm’s pipeline.

New Jobs:
Repreve is adding jobs as part of a multi-million-dollar expansion. The jobs are part of their environmentally-friendly yarn business, which has seen rapid growth from new products for companies such as Ford, The North Face, Nike, Volcom, and Patagonia.

500 West Fifth Street:
Warren Buffett's World Media Group could be interested in space at 500 West Fifth Street (the former Integon Life Insurance Headquarters). It was designed by Welton Becket as the first smart building, during the 1970s energy crisis. This building appeared in many trade magazines, due to this. It is interesting to see companies already seriously looking at it, though the building and space won't be available until September. Yes you can buy the building or lease it. Demand for office space is so high, it appears as if a waiting list is forming before the building is even on the market! If you want to buy the building or lease office space there, contact Greg Wilson at CBRE: (336) 331-9399 For those who want to know: The wall of glass faces the Saurtown Mountains!

Verger Capital Management:
You may remember the post on Winston-Salem's newest financial headquarters from a week or two ago. I found a photograph of an advertisement shoot for the company. This is from one of the apartment buildings around the IQ District. The Nissen Building looks awesome!

Salute Wine Festival:
Salute is by far the biggest of the three wine festivals! Look at the crowd! It's ranked among the "Top 20 Events in the Southeast” by the Southeast Tourism Society! Several magazines were there, so look for articles on Winston-Salem next month!

Twin City RibFest:
Looking for a reason to visit? RibFest starts tomorrow, June 5-8, across from the convention center, in Twin City Quarter. If you're in Winston-Salem this week to see the construction or to just have fun, be sure to visit the RibFest!

From Southern Business & Development Magazine:
The headline said it all "Winston-Salem's downtown thriving thanks to robust tech hiring" "Research and development activities are transforming Winston-Salem's downtown." If you follow this thread, you've already seen the construction in the IQ District. BioMed Realty Trust just completed nearly 500,000 square feet of tech office space this year and BioMed Realty could have another 450,000 square feet of space under construction in downtown's IQ District by this fall! Very awesome and fun to watch. And they aren't just building office space. They are building parks, cycling infrastructure, streetscapes, retail spaces, classrooms, and entertainment venues, as part of a goal to make Winston-Salem one of the nation's hot/trendy cities to live and work in by 2020. That is not too far away and they have the money and expertise to actually do this.

UNCSA Drama School Ranked 6th in the World:
Winston-Salem's University of North Carolina School of the Arts has one of the best drama programs in the world, according to The Hollywood Reporter! UNCSA's School of Drama is ranked 6th in the world in their June 6 issue. The rankings are based on a poll of 60 top casting directors and agents. Did you know: UNCSA only accepts 28 out of 450 applicants and 17 of 25 graduates landed agents or managers after their 2013 showcases in New York and Los Angeles. It's also worth noting that 35 UNCSA alumni were represented at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Drama Dean Carl Forsman said “Both our high school and college programs are among the very best in the world. Our faculty are top notch, and that allows us to attract students who are very talented and have a passion for acting and directing.” This university is working on several downtown projects too, including leasing a stage and additional space at the proposed Bailey Power Plant and a major renovation of their performing arts center downtown, which includes adding apartments on the top floors.

North Carolina Arts High School:
The drama department at North Carolina's high school for the arts, also in Winston-Salem, is ranked 3rd by The Hollywood Reporter! I thought I would add this, since people moving here frequently ask about the schools.

50 West Fourth:
These 58 apartments and a restaurant space on Fourth Street are expected to open in late 2014 or early 2015. The JournalNow article, the photographs are from, talks about removing the old landscaping. This is SSP's first good update on this building!

This building was actually built in 1896 and was expanded twice. In the middle is the original Richardson Romanesque building! Since there aren't many photographs in this update, why don't we take advantage of that to post some images from the 1896 part of the building!

Frank P. Milburn designed several train stations, houses, government buildings, and office buildings across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic, in the late 1800s and early 1900s. You can find his buildings in cities from Kentucky to Florida. Milburn moved his architectural firm to Winston-Salem in 1893, to take advantage of the city's fast growth. Around 1900, Milburn's firm was said to be the largest architectural practice in the south.

B/E Aerospace:
Could this lead to more jobs in Winston-Salem? B/E Aerospace paid $470 million to buy Emteq Inc, a provider of aircraft lighting systems, and F+E Fischer + Entwicklungen GmbH & Co KG, which makes helicopter cabin interiors. B/E Aerospace is one of Winston-Salem's largest employers and recently acquired more office space in Winston-Salem for their growth.

Mission Pizza Napoletana:
Remember this project? We never did see the finished building from the outside. It actually looks ...different. I like it. Everyone eating at this restaurant loves the food. If you're in Winston-Salem, go there and try it! It's on Trade Street. It also features a walk/bike through window, which is very unusual. You can ride your bike to the window or walk up to the window and place your order.

I'm still searching for more information on the Kimpton Hotel. It seems as if their plans are already in place, so they should start soon. Kimpton/PMC own the building now and the new address for it clearly shows it's in the IQ District. 51 East Fourth Street - That is East End/IQ District.

I also really want to see something happen soon at Building 60; The Wake Forest University School of Medicine's medical school, around Fourth, Fifth, and Vine streets. That will be an awesome project for downtown! I'm guessing Plant 64 is also excited about having college students behind their apartment building!

Atlantic Capital Headquarters:
The tenant for this building was finally revealed on WSTB last week. It's great to have another financial company headquarters downtown. Atlantic Capital is the holding firm for Hatteras Financial Corp., and ACM Financial Trust. Welcome to downtown Winston-Salem!

Credit: Frank L. Blum Construction

Credit: Roediger316 @ WSTB

Bailey Park @ East End:
Thank you to rmhpmi at WSTB for sharing an update on this project!

Quote:

Originally Posted by rmhpmi @ WSTB

New Area Code:
Look for a new area code in Winston-Salem. No details right now.

Thomasville Furniture Factory Adaptive Reuse:New to this thread!
The latest project announced in Winston-Salem is the renovation of Thomasville Furniture's old factory in the Northwest Industrial District (around 12th Street and Ivy). Thomasville Furniture built this building in 1939, in the Streamline Moderne style. The building will become apartments, offices, and the sales floor for Plyler (sells building materials). The Plyler Sales Floor is already built and operating. Shop local with Plyer, instead of Home Depot! Office space and apartments are the next step. The developer has 3 floors to convert to mixed-use and will preserve the interesting items from the old furniture factory.

Some of the city's hipsters are now moving to this neighborhood, which is very industrial. We are now seeing the apartments and other industrial conversions happening here, as we run-out of old buildings downtown to renovate. If you like industrial districts, like I do, you'll agree this is an awesome neighborhood!

Some people call this area downtown and others view it as its own neighborhood. I view it as its own distinctive neighborhood.

I was too busy to post the past several days and I apologize for that. We did see some big news for Winston-Salem!

BioMed Realty Trust to Invest Another $130+ Million in Downtown:
Are you ready for the next wave of construction in downtown Winston-Salem? This company just completed an $88 million tech office building and is prepared to start on more fun projects this year!

Wake Forest University Downtown Medical School:
Wake Forest University is raising $20 million from alumni and friends and will combine that with another $27 million from the university and nearly $50 million in tax credits, to convert a massive former industrial building from the 1920s into a downtown medical school! They must raise this money by August of this year and expect to break ground on the downtown medical school in Fall of this year! Yes, I said this Fall! This is by far the biggest project we've seen in the IQ and could bring more students to the heart of downtown! This building is 41% larger than 525@Vine and think of all of those students and professors downtown! Yes, I'm expecting more apartments and also a major transformation of this area in entertainment, shopping, and restaurants. Remember the plan TwinCity posted earlier? The one that showed half of the cleared North District Phase II as apartments? Those buildings will also have storefronts and the street is already in place, with streetside parking for the storefronts. I'm not sure if many of the people I've talked to about this medical school realize the impact it will likely have?

Bailey Power Plant:
We are receiving more and more details on this massive retail/restaurant/entertainment project, which could begin construction very soon. It appears as if it's an $83 million project and is on an accelerated timetable? This building, along with the medical school's building, are the last of the factories waiting to be renovated in the IQ. After these two buildings are renovated, it's new construction.

Credit: American City Business Journals

Innovation Quarter:
There are 11 Innovation Districts. Winston-Salem has one of them (downtown's IQ District) and all 11 are expected to work on a massive collaboration that will bring even more development and name recognition to them. I don't know what the collaboration is, but would like to know. If you're from Boston, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, San Diego, Seattle, etc., and you've heard what this collaboration is, please share with us in this thread. We are guessing at WSTB and trying to find answers. It sounds like a big deal for all of our cities!

The Glade @ West End:
More and more big news and updates to share! The Camel City Dispatch shared an update on the conversion of this former YWCA into condos last week. So many beautiful architectural details. #CityOfAdaptiveReuse

Credit: Camel City Dispatch

Credit: Camel City Dispatch

A Wine Cellar (perfect for North Carolina's Wine Country!)
Credit: Camel City Dispatch

Credit: Camel City Dispatch

Was the ceiling lowered?
Credit: Camel City Dispatch

Link Apartments:
A look at the interior of these really nice apartments! If you're interested in an apartment near the ballpark, this is the number to call: 1-877-844-0001

The Edge Apartments:
Not many updates on this building. Since I don't reside in Winston-Salem and they don't share many construction updates, this project is largely absent from our thread. It's two 7-storey apartment towers, with parking under the building. The buildings are next to the East-West Expressway, on First Street.

The Leasing Center is now open:
Credit: The Edge Winston-Salem

Bailey Park @ East End:
From the roof of the Bailey Power Plant? The rough looking industrial building to the right is the future location of the Wake Forest University School of Medicine. As I posted earlier, it is expected to start renovation in a few months, along with Bailey Power Plant!

Credit: American City Business Journals

New Four Topps Headquarters and More Jobs:
Four Topps is growing fast and just entered the National Football League with their seating line. The Winston-Salem based company is currently looking for a new headquarters and logistics center in Winston-Salem.

Brenner Childrens Hospital:
U.S. News & World Report has ranked Brenner Children’s Hospital among the best children’s hospitals in the country! They just recently finished construction on one of the nation's few level-one pediatric trauma centers and a new emergency room. There are only 31 level-one pediatric trauma centers in the United States and Winston-Salem has the only level-one pediatric trauma center in North Carolina. Brenner Childrens Hospital is named for the CEO of Brenner Steel Company, the Winston-Salem based company that donated the money to start the childrens hospital.

Summer Music Series:
The popular live music series is back! Be sure to see it on your way to your favorite construction site.

Credit: DWSP

Casting Call:
Do you want to be an extra in a movie that is set in Winston-Salem? “The Longest Ride” will start filming very soon! According to the casting call, the film needs extras from ages 8-29. Go to www.makescenes.com and email your photo, contact information and availability to extrastlr@gmail.com. Pay rate for extras is $64 for up to 8 hours and time and a half after 8 hours. It's always fun to see some of the places we talk about in this thread on the big screen.

525@Vine: BUILT!
Adding nearly a quarter million square feet of tech space to downtown Winston-Salem, 525@Vine is now officially BUILT! It opened 87% leased, according to BioMed Realty Trust. Some of that space is storefronts. If you would like to open a restaurant, bar, or store in this building, contact Linville|Team! As always, when a building is built, we like to post a large number of photographs! No exception this time. This is yet another tech company building/tech space. These are always fun and interesting. Winston-Salem is experiencing a tech boom right now.

Interesting Facts About 525@Vine:
It was built in 1926 as an industrial building. It was LEED Platinum certified in January 2014. A total of 1,003 construction workers worked on this building's renovation! Whiting-Turner Construction completed the building for $88 million.

Credit: WFIQ

The elevators are awesome!
Credit: WFIQ

Credit: WFIQ

Flywheel is still under construction:
Credit: WFIQ

Credit: WFIQ

Plant 64 Lofts Update (look through the windows)? I see a crane over there!
Credit: WFIQ

Credit: WFIQ

This is a Classroom! (Look at the industrial view!) Awesome!
Credit: WFIQ

Plant 64 Lofts
These 242 units are leasing right now! Call (336) 793-2282 if you're interested! As you may know, it's not uncommon for an apartment building to be 85+% leased in downtown Winston-Salem on the first day! These are the very popular factory lofts, so if you want a unit in this building, call them today! Don't wait! Some residential tenants can move-in as early as July! I think that is for the smaller building in the middle? It looks as if it's completed? The taller buildings, in this multi-building complex, look as if they are still a few months from completion. These apartments are directly behind the rails-to-trails bicycle super highway project for bicycle commuters, walkers, and future light rail riders and they are also very close to 525@Vine. The first photograph below was taken at 525@Vine from the rails-to-trails project.

This photograph was taken from a future "elevated" bicycle, pedestrian, and light rail corridor, so these buildings are actually 2 floors taller!
Credit: Camel City Dispatch

I'm really excited about the elevated bicycle/pedestrian/future light rail project. According to City Hall, it should be under construction right now? I see (image above) it's cleared and there is some type of red fencing at the site?

Credit: DWSP

It appears as if Plant 64's power plant will be painted yellow! I like it!

Plant 64 Lofts' Power Plant!
Credit: DWSP

Does anyone know what this power plant will become? Is it amenity space for the apartments, like a basketball court? Is it a common area? Could it be additional apartments, with extremely high ceilings? I see streetside parking along Power Plant Circle, so maybe it's retail? I think it's awesome that downtown Winston-Salem has at least three or four old power plants.

M. C. Benton Convention Center:
It appears as if the convention center is close to being renovated and expanded in one of the biggest projects in the convention center's 45 year history. We should know more by the end of this month.

Winston-Salem Attracting More Highly Educated People:
The Atlantic is reporting Winston-Salem is among the cities gaining the highly educated & highly skilled but losing their less-educated workforce. Winston-Salem is making big gains in the number of people with a graduate degree moving here. Nearly half of the people moving to the Winston-Salem metro area had a graduate degree (the highest percentage of the state's six largest cities). I think much of this is due to the city being a healthcare, finance, research, technology, and aerospace center. Young educated people and tech companies falling in love with older cities also helps! Those without a high school education are leaving at a fast pace. It seems as if almost all of the jobs in Winston-Salem require highly skilled/educated workers.

Inmar:
Did you know: 67% of all the digital coupons redeemed in the United States are processed in downtown Winston-Salem's IQ District? Downtown Winston-Salem's IQ District is the center of the retail industry's digital coupons, from the phone apps that allow you to show a coupon on your phone at checkout to websites that allow you to load coupons to loyalty cards. Very awesome!

Leasing Downtown:
Brown, Jenkins, & Oneyear have decided to move downtown! They are leasing an historic building on South Main, just north of the Coffee Pot. Welcome to downtown! For those from outside the area, NYC has the Statue of Liberty, St. Louis has The Arch, Seattle has the Space Needle, and Winston-Salem has the Coffee Pot. The Coffee Pot was built in 1858 and is featured in many tourist photographs. It's a city symbol and a symbol of hospitality.

525@Vine:
We're not finished showing this awesome multi-tenant tech company office building! A few more views from The Camel City Dispatch!

Credit: Camel City Dispatch

Credit: Camel City Dispatch

Credit: Camel City Dispatch

Credit: Camel City Dispatch

I love these tech company offices! They are awesome! Where can I find a light fixture like that for my house?

Bailey Park @ East End:
We finally have a site plan for Bailey Park @ East End! It features a water wall, hillside path, food truck courtyard (with restrooms and sitting area), stage for live music and movies, two additional water features with sculptures, and three of the original electrical pylon towers (relic towers) from the site, before it was cleared for the park.

Quote:

Originally Posted by zinzendorf @ WSTB

Credit: WSTB / Stimmel Associates

Plant 64 Lofts:
rmhpmi posted an awesome update at WSTB. Here are a few of those photographs.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rmhpmi @ WSTB

Hilltop House: BUILT!

Reynolda House Indoor Pool:New to this thread!
Frank Blum Construction is starting work to restore the pool house (indoor swimming pool) at the historic Reynolda House. This could be a fun project to follow. Reynolda House was built in 1917 and is one of Winston-Salem's largest historic homes, at 65,238 square feet. The architect is the famed Charles Barton Keen, who had offices in both Philadelphia and Winston-Salem. Many architectural researchers say this is Keen's best house design.

Credit: Frank Blum Construction

Second Highest Wage Growth in N.C.:
The Herald-Sun is reporting Winston-Salem / Forsyth County had the second-highest rate of year-over-year wage growth in North Carolina. This is due to growth in Winston-Salem's technology, aerospace, and research jobs.

Car Wash Fundraiser:
The Drag Queen Car Wash in Winston-Salem's historic Washington Park neighborhood was a success and helped raise money for their street festival downtown, later this year. This city's street festivals are a big part of its character and can lead to more developments. I always want to advertise the street festival fundraisers. Unfortunately, I didn't find out about this one until today or I would've told you about it earlier, to help them raise more money.

Union Station Restoration:(Architect: Fellheimer & Wagner)
Winston-Salem has hired an architect to design the final plans for Union Station's renovation as a rail and bus hub. It will become the city's second transportation hub and the city will pay for it with bonds that don't require voter approval. Currently, the city is asking residents what they would like to see in the large multi-storey train station. This is the state's most intact historic train station. It is also the only multi-storey historic train station in the state! Architects say it is in great condition. Remember, this project is also a part of the city's proposed streetcar system! Is it time for a big photography post on Union Station?

The 34-storey Wells Fargo Center (marked on the map as Wells Fargo) is the city's tallest skyscraper. The area labeled as "research park" with a site plan in a red tint is the "IQ District," which is an "Innovation District" on the east side of downtown.

Union Station is in the Columbian Heights neighborhood, at Winston-Salem State University. I think train stations along the outer edge of downtown was a big fad for cities at that time? They had a place for streetcars to circle around and so does Winston-Salem's Union Station. Winston-Salem also had a massive international rail port on the east side of downtown and land around it was very valuable (too valuable for a passenger station). Union Station will become the streetcar maintenance yard, with a stop at the door, as shown on the map. You can also see where the other transportation center is.

They will open it with city and maybe regional bus service and add streetcar service after the streetcar system is built. It would also become the main hub for proposed light rail in the future. There aren't any plans right now for Amtrack, but the city has brought-up Amtrack at every discussion involving Union Station and said they want this station ready so they can gain Amtrack service. This was the gateway to the Appalachians, so I expect vacation trains, like Asheville or Boone, if that ever happens? Today Winston-Salem's Yadkin River Valley metro area is North Carolina's wine country as well, which could lead to a wine train.

The city has done some work to Union Station, including a new roof, if I'm not mistaken? Restoration is estimated at around $9-10 million and the streetcar maintenance yard at Union Station is estimated at $9 million. $18 million in bonds (no voter approval required) will be used for the work.

The current bus station on Fifth Street is severely over-crowded, so the city would like to divide some of that between the Campbell Center and Union Station. Both stations will offer streetcar and bus service. Union Station is about the same distance from downtown Winston-Salem as Cincinnati's Union Terminal is from their downtown. Michigan Central Station and Buffalo Central Terminal are also far from their downtowns. I'm guessing a well-known planner of the day must have popularized train stations outside downtown? Some residents did ask for a new rail transfer station in the actual downtown area, but the city insists on restoring the old station. No complaints from me!

The expressways not only disconnected it, but also demolished the rowhouses leading to it and destroyed the beautiful entry roads. The rapidly growing IQ District will expand downtown to east and eventually come very close to Union Station. A 12-13 storey building is currently proposed across the cloverleaf from Union Station. The streetcar will also connect it to downtown. Winston-Salem is very serious about Amtrack and it should be interesting to see if the city gains Amtrack service after restoring this building.

If Union Station was located downtown, I'm guessing it would be The Lofts @ Union Station, a conference center, artist colony, or a tech company office building right now? There is also a chance it may not have survived, considering Southern Railway's huge International Rail Port, on downtown's east side, was completely demolished. I wish downtown's streamline moderne bus station was still standing. I would love to have that facility as the city's current bus station. The building had beautiful murals too.

Targacept Pharmaceutical Company:
Targacept is launching a new clinical trail for a drug to treat a digestive disorder. It would be nice to see to see great results and maybe another job producing partnership, similar to what they had with AstraZeneca, from this compound.

United Furniture:
They have selected the Weeks facility for a $5 million renovation and 200+ new jobs! The historic building, on the north side of Winston-Salem, was once the largest in the state in floor area. They should finish work by Fourth Quarter 2014 and begin hiring at that time. Another historic building restored!

More New Jobs:
Three new job announcements are about to be made, bringing nearly $12 million in investment and an undisclosed number of jobs.

HanesBrands Grows Again:
HanesBrands Inc., has purchased DBApparel of France in a $550 million deal that should bring another $875 million in yearly revenue to the Winston-Salem based company. HanesBrands Inc., is Winston-Salem's third largest headquarters. Their two recent acquisitions should bring their revenue totals to somewhere between $5.5 billion to $6 billion in revenue. I'm guessing that would rank around 400-450 on the Fortune 500 list? I guess we will see when the mergers are completed? These acquisitions usually bring new jobs to the headquarters complex. Good news for developments around Oak Summit.

Rails-to-Trails:
According to a forum member at WSTB, the burned-out skywalk is gone; workers are removing unused rail spurs that won't be a part of the light rail line; workers have removed structures from the back side of buildings along the path; and a crane is on site.

Big Announcement by PMC Property Group:
We should have more details by Friday on PMC Property Group's plans. What we do know: They will build about 130 apartments for their half of the project, but no cost estimates or real details.

I apologize for not posting an update earlier this week. Lauren was at the hospital. Since I haven't posted an update in a long time, it's a long update! If you love the Plant 64 and Flywheel projects, it's a great update!

Rails to Trails - Bicycle - Light Rail - Walking Project:
This is the crane at the Rails-to-Trails site. This is an awesome project I'm really excited about. Imagine riding your bicycle on an elevated path with no stops! All of the roads are below the bike trail! This is really a three in one project, with a walking path and future light rail (LRT).

Source: Plant 64 Lofts

Plant 64 Lofts:
Prepare yourself for this: These units from the middle building just entered the market today or yesterday and they have nearly leased all available units! They could be fully leased by now? Within less than 24 hours, all of the corner units were leased! And now you see why apartment developers are fighting to enter downtown Winston-Salem! Remember Plant 64 is five buildings and three of those buildings are residential, so you still have two more chances to lease here! They haven't completed the other two residential buildings. Plant 64 uploaded an awesome update recently and I have to share it with you! There was also an update on WSTB I'll share part of for our viewers at SSP! If you're looking for an apartment, visit 545 Power Plant Circle in the IQ District or call 336-793-2282.

A nice view of Research Parkway and the Wells Fargo Linden Center in the IQ District!
Source: Plant 64 Lofts

Research Parkway will be completely demolished and rebuilt by the IQ District's development team, so be prepared for that. They will remove everything, from streetlights to landscaping to utility poles to sidewalks to the roadbed and replace all of it. They will also bury the power lines. I think they've already wired this street for gigabit internet? Your connection to SSP should be fast!

The Power Plant at Plant 64 Lofts is an amenities buildings. The power plant will be a 2 storey building with a leasing office, movie theater, coffee shop and fitness center. If you move-in now, you may have to wait another month on the amenities. Both the pool structure with fire pits and movie screen and the Power Plant are still under construction/renovation.

Source: Plant 64 Lofts

These buildings are still under construction!
Source: Plant 64 Lofts

Quote:

Originally Posted by rmhpmi @ WSTB

Flywheel:
This project is almost completed! This is an awesome downtown office. It looks more like a place to party than a place to work. They also took full advantage of the high ceilings in these old factories.

Credit: Flywheel Co-work

Beer anyone? Amazing place to work!
Credit: Flywheel Co-work

Basketball! I wish we had something like this at my office!
Credit: Flywheel Co-work

The pool table is here!
Credit: Flywheel Co-work

70-inch screen!
Credit: Flywheel Co-work

Credit: Flywheel Co-work

Seedhouse:
Seedhouse is a proposed arts & education center in downtown Winston-Salem. It will be a place to enjoy a different way of experiencing life. There will be coffee, food, visual art, dance, massage therapy, motivational speaking, an indoor skate park, a creative and artistic outdoor basketball court, creative writing, technology, a recording studio, music, theatre, and on-site job training. The spaces will require a membership to access. An architect was hired, but I'm not sure what building they are looking at or if they are building new? There aren't many old industrial buildings remaining downtown.

Bailey Park @ East End:
Another great update from rmhpmi at WSTB. You can see where the sloped lawn seating is for the amphitheatre, you can see the pipes for the restrooms/concessions building, and you can see pipes where some of the water features will be located.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rmhpmi @ WSTB

Liberty Street Renovations:
An historic building on liberty street, in downtown's arts district, is being completely gutted and renovated into a Reebok CrossFit Apparel store, with a large custom designed fitness center upstairs. They are gutting it to the reinforced concrete frame and walls and they are replacing all of the windows too! Please be an historically accurate renovation on the outside!

Big Winston Retail Development:
This was posted by forum member Big Winston Fan at WSTB: Black Mountain Chocolate's new headquarters and store will feature a Visible Chocolate Factory - with tours and classes, and a Chocolate Kitchen cafe, with confections, pastries, gelato and coffee and cocoa drinks. It will open after Labor Day.

Civic Plaza (Merschel Plaza) City Park:
Is the new city park, with an underground parking garage, under construction? This is part of a project that will not only bring hidden parking and a new city park to downtown, but it is also part of a plan to build a highrise fronting this park! The underground parking deck is designed to be the parking for a 210-255 unit residential highrise. I'll wait to move this to construction until we know 100% for sure it is under construction.

New Jobs:
National General Insurance has completed their renovations and are ready to hire new employees in Winston-Salem. No word on how many new employees they will hire? They could double their current workforce, so this is exciting.

New Jobs:
CommunityOne Bank is hiring in Winston-Salem, as they make a serious push into Western North Carolina's tech center. They've hired one person so far and are looking for office space. If anyone from CommunityOne is reading this, look at the new building at Fourth & Broad.

Employment:
The Winston-Salem Metro Area added over 3,000 jobs last month.

Innovation Quarter:
The person in charge of development at Winston-Salem's Innovation District was a speaker at Bio International Convention. I would love to see a video of what he said. The IQ District is now in talks a few possible tenants, since that convention. Yes, more jobs and more tech office space construction! The IQ District also appeared in an industry publication, speaking of the Innovation Quarter being a national leader.

Smith Reynolds Airport:
Smith Reynolds Airport is making improvements to its longest runway for bigger and heavier aircraft. Thompson-Arthur won the multi-million contract.

Robotics Competition:
Among the unusual events in downtown Winston-Salem was a robotics competition, sponsored by 3M, for local tech companies. It was held in the IQ District and won this year by Team Inmar. Keep Winston-Salem Nerdy!

Team Small Footprint (software company) in Robotics Competition:
Credit: WFIQ

Flour Box Bakery:
I don't post all of the stores and restaurants that open. Only places I think you may find interesting as a resident of downtown, downtown worker, or a fan of the city. This is a bakery, located Near Hilltop House, Tar Branch Towers, and other residential developments. They are at 300 South Marshall in the Brookstown Neighborhood. Walk or ride your bike there and tell us what you think? Milla Ranieri, the owner, is a former biologist who is starting a second career, following her passion for baking. Breads include sourdough, baguettes, rye, raisin-walnut, and olive oil and sea salt. Pastries include croissants, scones, Danishes, and muffins. The bakery also offers cakes, cupcakes, and granola. For lunch, they have quiche, tomato sandwiches and grilled cheese available. The bakery also has a full range of coffees and teas.

A restaurant called Savor also opened just recently in that same area. They have live jazz nights. If you live in that neighborhood, you may want to visit this business as well.

Twin City Stage:
The American Association of Community Theatre announced Twin City Stage was selected to participate in AACT New Play Fest 2016 as a Producing Theatre.

Bob McCreary Indoor Football Center:
This project will begin construction next month! It's a $21 million indoor practice facility and will open in 2015. Players can train year-round regardless of the weather and the facility will feature a 120-yard artificial turf field with roll-up doors that will open onto football practice fields.

Bailey Power Plant:
A great photograph of the construction office at Bailey Power Plant.

New City Skate Park:
City leaders are talking about constructing a $500,000 skate park near downtown. The new pop-up skate park that opened last weekend had long lines of skaters an hour or two before it opened. Other skating facilities in the area are all very popular. City leaders are using the pop-up skate park to help decide what type of facility to build.

Fifth Street World Cup Party:
People are still talking about the massive World Cup Party that closed Fifth Street. I've seen it described as better than Super Bowl parties. I've seen a few photographs of the closed street, packed with people. Winston-Salem loves soccer, tennis, and sport cycling. I think this is a good time for Callahan to move forward with the MLS stadium proposal. I prefer a site north of MLK, near Ziggys.

First City to Celebrate July 4th!
Winston-Salem was the first city to celebrate July 4th in 1783! Other cities may claim to be first, but Winston-Salem's is verified as the first July 4th celebration on record! Winston-Salem will celebrate this weekend with a revolutionary war reenactment, music, games, food, and of course the naturalization ceremony. Last year, people from 28 different countries became United States citizens at Winston-Salem's historic Salem Square. July 4th weekend is actually a great time to visit Winston-Salem! You can also enjoy First Friday on Trade Street and a massive music festival this weekend, with around 100 bands. The reasons to move to one of these residential developments downtown are endless.

The Naturalization Ceremony and Revolutionary War Reenactment is in Old Salem National Landmark District, which appears in many TV shows, commercials, and movies set in colonial times. This is a fun commercial, filmed in Winston-Salem's Old Salem National Landmark District last year.

I love how Plant 64 makes the Linden Center feel like a part of the IQ...and it should be! I wonder if they include Wells Fargo's employees as part of the overall IQ worker tally. It has a stronger presence being opposite a new apt complex.